It’s getting warmer out there, and if it’s something I love, it’s ice cream on a hot day.
No. Scratch that. What I love on a hot day is nakedness. Unfortunately, the city frowns upon nude lawn sports and general naked yard maintenance, so I have to stay cool in more legal, less frightening-to-the-neighbor kinds of ways.
This recipe is seriously so easy you’re going to give me the stink eye, but I wanted frozen yogurt and I had to have it. I also didn’t want to put the kind of labor into it that required milking the cow, carrying pails of liquid schlooping back to the house and then yogurtizing them (and hellooooo I have no cows).
So why not start with what Greek Gods (or your favorite Greek yogurt brand brand) intended in the form of plain, full fat Greek yogurt (don’t have Greek? Read below to make your own).
This frozen yogurt is so yummy, the pickiest person in my house (the 19 year old who says he can’t clean his room because “Efficiency trumps aesthetics”) prefers this option to ice cream. In fact, he asks me to make it for him all the time now.
Should I tell him how easy it really is? No. Because efficiency trumps aesthetics. Bam.
So easy, you’ll never buy ice cream again
Thinky thoughts and recipe ruminations:
- Can’t find fage or Greek yogurt? Never fear. Simply pour a container of whole fat, plain yogurt into cheesecloth, allow to drain, and what you’re left with is Greek yogurt. Abracadabra! Now you can go back to being fabulous.
- For this recipe I went with plain vanilla as the flavoring, but you could sub in any natural flavoring for fun, kicky, fruity flavors. (I also tried a lemon version and it was terrific).
- For soft-serve, you will likely only need to freeze the yogurt for 30-60 minutes, checking every 15 minutes or so.
- For solid ice cream consistency, allow 60-120 minutes for the yogurt to fully harden, stirring every 30 minutes.
- If your frozen yogurt becomes too frozen, simply let rest on the counter at room temperature (or in the refrigerator if you have more time) until the desired consistency is reached. Stir and serve.
- You can add more or less sugar sub for your desired sweetness. I prefer to let more of the yogurt flavor come through, so I use less sweetener. You can elect for even less if you prefer.
- Make sure to powder your granulated sweetener (in a blender or food processor) prior to adding to the yogurt. Coldness + granulation doesn’t equal a breakdown; you’ll have crunchy granules.
- Need to conserve some calories? You can use a less full-fat recipe, but be aware that dairy products which tend to be lower in fat climb in carbohydrates due to an addition of sugar.
- This recipe is sugar free, gluten free, vegetarian friendly, and contains only 5 grams of carbs per serving. Not bad for the easiest, most delicious dessert you’ve ever made with a bowl and a spoon.
- A delicious, cheesecake version with even fewer carbs can be found here.
Easy Frozen Yogurt
2 cups plain, full-fat fage/Greek yogurt
1 cup sugar equivalent substitute
2 tsps vanilla extract
Combine ingredients in a large, freezer-proof bowl or pan. Freeze covered, stirring every 30 minutes until desired consistency is reached. Keep covered and frozen.
Makes 4, 1/2 cup servings.
Nutritional information per 1/2 cup serving:: Calories: 110, Carbohydrates: 5g, Fiber: 0g, Net Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 15.9g.
It’s official. You are my hero.
Pam– Addiction to frozen yogurt babes unite!
I’ve looked at Greek Yogurt in the store, and it has ALOT of carbs. I didn’t ever think it would be considered a low carb food. I still don’t think it is.
Hi, Linda! At 5 net carbs a serving, Greek Yogurt is not the lowest carb ever; however what makes it even absolutely amazing is how incredibly filling a small amount is. It’s like eating a serving of sour cream. It’s dense and substantial, and it’s difficult to eat much of sour cream, let alone Greek yogurt.
That’s good to know, because I’ve heard how good it is and how good it is for you. Maybe I didn’t do the math right, I’ll check it out again, thanks!
You brought up a good point though, Linda! There are Greek Yogurts out there with more carbs. They generally are the lower fat versions and might incorporate some kind of sugar/flavoring in there to push up the carb amount. I use only the plain full fat stuff (and check the label twice in case the manufacturer decides to change the labeling one day when I’m not caffeinated).
I (finally!) found full fat Greek yogurt but it has 7g of sugar (per cup)…hardly “sugar free” (but very yummy, lol). Is there a brand you know of that is both full fat & sugar free? Also, can you explain how to “powder” the sugar substitute? Mine was still very granular…and my kitchen was covered in a white dust cloud when I took the top of the blender…
thx! love your stuff ~ I am a daily drooler.
LOL! Mary, I am picturing a puff of white dust emanating from your blender as the lid is removed. I think yours sounds fairly powdered to me. Another way to do it might be to put sweetener in a bag and pound with a mallet. Mostly, you’re trying to break those big crystals into smaller crystals–as much as possible anyway. You want them to dissolve. I’m not sure, but a coffee grinder might help?
Per the Greek yogurt, my current favorite, easy to find brand (which has a lot to do with it being my favorite) is Greek Gods brand Yogurt. I buy the green lid, which has a decently high fat content and is plain.
Kroger’s/Ralph’s has CARBmaster Yogurt that is 4 carbs per container. It has a different texture but is very good.
Also known as:
Food 4 Less Fry’s Dillon’s King Sooper Jay C Fred Meyer QFC Baker’s Owen’s Scott’s Hilander Gorles City market
The only problem with Carbmaster (and don’t get me wrong–it’s decent stuff and I love their banana cream– is that it’s a low fat yogurt. Unless you’re minding your fat, I think the high fat stuff performs really well in the freezer.
And NOT 1 of them is in Boston! LOL
Booooooo!
Good point. I think I’ll toss in some coconut oil and see how it comes out. I’ll give it a try this weekend.
However they are in Connecticut! Only 85 miles from Boston. I drive that far for mine because I live in the boonies. I’ll be stocking up on the way home.
Put in your zip code and choose 50+ miles:
https://services.kroger.com/StoreLocator/StoreLocatorAdvanced.aspx
I was wrong. It appears more is connected to Kroger than I thought. It’s a Jewelry Store that is 86 miles. Sorry if I gave you false hope.
Only 85 miles… You know, I was traveling through Wyoming once and couldn’t find a product locally that was available there and made use of the opportunity! I think it’s worth grabbing on your way through the next time you’re out for a trip.
You have officially just made my summer.
I have more ideas coming! I hope you like this recipe. We make it a few times a week.
Can you use the kitchenaid ice cream maker attachment to do this instead of having to stir every 30 minutes?
I am positive you could, Elise! I am just trying to minimize the number of gadgets in the kitchen you’d need to bring the yummies to yourself and your families. A good friend also told me ice cube trays filled with this could be processed into ice cream. Again, that’s an option, but I really wanted to keep this simple.
Jamie, It sounds yummy.. What about using liquid Splenda??
Cheryl
I’m not sure if liquid would cause it to freeze a little differently, but there’s only one way to find out! you can make a mini batch and see what happens. That way, worst case, you have a tiny serving to try.
I love this idea, thank you! I also am wondering what kind of sweetner you prefer for this recipe? I use xylitol a lot and also liquid stevia, but I am not sure if this would affect the texture of the ice cream.
Hi Heidy! I use Kroger’s puple-bagged 0 Calorie baking blend. It’s essentially Ideal Brand and then they merged together with Kroger. You could try liquid stevia for sure. Just make a tiny batch to start with and see what you think before committing to a larger batch.
How about honey for the sweetener? Far healthier than any of the fake stuff, and no pulverizing needed. Made this with Fage nonfat tonight, and it was a great treat. Then take a T of natural peanut butter and ribbon it through after freezing = practically a meal!
Hi there! For people with unstable blood sugar, it can’t be honey–but for people who want to use honey, absolutely use it! It’s all about what works for you.
I use Greek yogurt in my Cuisinart ice cream maker, flavoured with whatever sounds good, pretty often. I have used add-ins like sugar free pudding mix, sugar free DaVinci or Torani syrups, chocolate protein powder, lemon oil or zest and juice, berries, etc. It’s all very tasty and it is a treat to eat something that seems like an indulgence but is actually very healthy!
That sounds wonderful, Margo! There are so many wonderful ways to zip up this recipe. I will be sharing one of those tomorrow. It’s so good to know an ice cream maker does this justice, as well! I was thinking of trying the Ninja and using that to fluff up the recipe for kicks, but I’m not sure…
I think that fluffing it up works pretty well – and lightens it up a bit without sacrificing texture or flavour. I also add some almond milk sometimes, especially if I use sf pudding or jello to flavour it and that makes it a bit lighter too.
Love your blog and recipes!
question after pulverizing the sugar sub is a cup still a cup? may sound stupid but i know from experience weight/size changes???
Hi, Danielle! I measure the sweetener pre-pulverization in this recipe because pulverizing it will generally fluff it up (like confectionary sugar).
I read sometime ago in an article by Jimmy Moore (of Livin’ La Vida Low Carb’s Blog)… the carbs are not manifest as per the label. As an insulin dependent diabetic and low carber I can attest to the fact that 9 grams of label net carbs (per Fage plain Greek yogurt) consistently translates into about half that per my glucose “bump”. As Jimmy is hard core LC, I believed him even before I tested it. As a retired scientist, I still had to test it… There are chemical reasons for this which I can’t recall atm. Once I read it, it opened up a wonderful Greek yogurt world for me and now I even make my own.
Oh yeah, the bacterial cultures continue to work on the lactose (sugar) in the yogurt reducing it to less than label value. For me with the Fage plain Greek as an example, I show about 1/2 label stated value based on blood glucose testing.
You are the only one I have heard of that knows about The Greek Gods yogurt. I keep mentioning it to the Dukanistas but they have never heard of it. Hands down best greek yogurt I have every had. Thanks, I was begining to think it was made and sold only in my hometown.
I love Greek Gods! I just assume everyone knows what it is! Ha ha! Well, that makes two of us! Greek Gods Girls unite!
Can’t find this kind of yoghurt anywhere in any store in NE Tennessee and SW Virginia!
Can you find fage or any kind of Greek Yogurt? It can be Oikos, any brand. You mainly want full fat plain. Worst-case, if you can’t find any, you can make your own!
Use a cheesecloth and let full fat, plain yogurt rest in the cheesecloth. The solids that remain are essentially your greek yogurt.
I can’t find the full fat Greek joghurt. I can find 2 % or fat free only.
Helga– 2% isn’t optimal, but it should still work. You could also add some cream cheese to it to fatten it up a bit.
I have 2 strainers I bought for the very purpose of draining yogurt. I get the full fat Dannon at Walmart and drain it overnight.They work like a charm and that’s what I did this weekend to make the recipe. I live in a tiny town–but have Walmart and a wonderful local store that is catering to food folks looking for GF, sugar free and being Paleo/Primal now I can get most of my stuff there like the guar gum, coconut oil, coconut and flax, raw almonds and organic stuff. What a gift to have it just a few blocks away! The frozen yogurt is Very dreamy flavor, but I think I need to whip it up with a mixer instead of by my own wiener arms. I could mainline this stuff. I also made both of the fruit toppings you linked. I can think of many uses for the fruit toppings. Like primal banana bread french toast with fruit topping. Had it for lunch! Love your recipes.
Hi, Janet! I love the idea of strainers. Cheesecloth is amazing, but it’s a pain in the patootie to clean. I am so glad you like the fruit recipes, too! It’s like the easiest preserves I’ve ever dealt with and I love knowing I used fresh produce and my sweetener of choice.
I am so going to try this! I don’t have an ice cream maker so I’ve shyed away from ever trying ice cream or frozen yogurt. I’ve hear about Greek God’s from a “northern friend” until recently I could not find it here in Central Florida. Finally spotted it on the very top shelf in the dairy section of our Nature’s Food Patch store. Only in little tiny containers that are flavored. Guess I’ll have to ask them to bring in the plain.
Hi Herbal! You can make your own fage with regular, plain, high fat yogurt. Use a cheesecloth and pour the yogurt in. Allow to drain. What’s left is fage.
It is wonderful to make an ice cream without the maker. While it’s not as voluminous, it’s still amazing.
I can also eat full-fat yogurt without the full effect of the listed carbs. To be on the safe (and yummy) side, I always add high-fat sour cream to yogurt. (I don’t count calories.) In fact I will try your recipe with some sour cream added in. Thanks!
Sour cream and/or cream cheese are perfect! I shared a cream cheese version that tastes exactly like cheesecake today! It cuts carbs but ups the ante on flavor.
Attention fellow Canucks!
I have recently found a new product from our (Canada)regional dairy co-operative. Gaylea Gold Premium Sour Cream. It’s an 18% butterfat sour cream with the only ingredients being MILK INGREDIENTS, BACTERIAL CULTURE, MICROBIAL ENZYME.
This is the closest to a low carb Greek style yogurt I’m going to find around here.
So for a half cup serving of ‘frozen yocream’ this would give me 120 calories; 10 gm fat; 4 gm carbs; 4 gm protein.
It’s really decadent as sour cream, so I can barely imagine how lovely it will be as frozen yogurt! Luscious Lemon here I come!
Left unfrozen, it would be a perfect fluffy mousse type dessert or filling for a nutcrust refrigerator pie. Chocolate Silk pie anybody?
I’m coming to live with you.
bring bacon!
Canadian or…
all bacon is welcome in my house 🙂
I’m trying this out very very soon.
https://thefreerangehuman.wordpress.com/2012/03/26/ketogenic-pizza/
Ketogenic pizza with the all bacon crust. I’m not sure if this has made it to your neck of the woods yet, but I’m sure Your Baconness(kind of like the Duchess of Bacon) would appreciate the droolishness.
Very nice!
Helga- I am in the Christiansburg area of VA and our Kroger carries Greek Gods greek yogurt.
Great recipe but have one suggestion regarding making your own Greek yogurt from store bought.
A lot, but not all, store -ought yogurts contain a binder called guar gum, or something else, probably so they don’t separate as easily. That being said, to get the thickest Greek-style yogurt, you need to start with a yogurt that does not contain a binder. Obviously making your own yogurt is the best way to go for taste, etc…
If you really want to make a delicious Greek yogurt, make your own from scratch with whole milk plus real whip cream. The more fat in the yogurt the smoother it is and the better it tastes. And don’t forget to drain it!
Great advice, Katina!
I am a Dukaner and have two kind of related things I eat regularly.
One is to take a package of SILKEN tofu, drained, and toss it in a VitaMix with 6 T. plain fat free Greek yogurt, a couple of tablespoons raspberry sugar free DaVinci syrup and 1/4 cup Splenda. This makes a high protein ‘pudding’ that tastes very much like flavored yogurt (my tofu hating daughter loves this stuff). I will try this frozen but I also have a frozen popsicle recipe that is terrific.
Popsicles: 2 cups fat free plain Greek yogurt and one container of Dannon ‘diabetic friendly’ yogurt in strawberry flavor. Start with 1/4 c Xylitol and taste and then add 1/4 c more if that isn’t sweet enough for you. Mix together thoroughly and spoon into popsicle molds (it’s too thick to pour). Freeze 4-6 hours and enjoy.
Both of these are wonderful additions to a Dukan meat-heavy diet that gets very very old.
I’d love to see more tofu recipes here. I detest the texture of tofu and things that ‘hide’ that would be lovely. Not to mention allowing me to cut down on the amount of meat I am eating.
Hi, Rita! I love your ideas! They sound so fun–and yummy.
I have a question: Is tofu a must? I only ask because I’m allergic to soy. Maybe this is where readers can share their favorite tofu recipes!
Tofu isn’t a MUST. It’s simply an inexpensive protein and it’s NOT meat. Dukan is low-fat, low-carb and low-sugar. It takes much of the joy out of cooking but it works for me and my reactive blood glucose.
I’ve tried to love the tofu shirataki noodles but they remind me unpleasantly of worms slithering in my mouth and down my throat. I keep trying though since I bought a case of them without thinking I should first try and then buy.
There are very few tofu recipes I can find and I would love to see more that actually taste good and without that tofu texture. While I don’t mind the tofu texture as much as I mind the worms, I like to enjoy my food and sometimes I have to choke down meat to get my protein in. If you are allergic to soy–obviously, this is not the place to find those recipes! But if anyone knows where to find them–that would be fabulous. Thanks!
If you first freeze then defrost tofu (firm), you can pick up the block and squeeze the water out and the resulting product will have a very different texture that can act as a substitute for ground beef. I’ve used it for egg rolls, chili, and many other recipies. Some Asian markets even sell black tofu, and it looks much like ground beef in chili when you use the freeze, defrost, and squeeze method above…
To the people looking for Fage greek yogurt. I bought mine yesterday at Aldi’s. They are starting to carry it. They sell the larger two cup size (17oz) for around $3.49.
I wish we had Aldi’s. That’s not a bad price for Fage greek.
Costco carries Fage!
Try this if You cant wait for the freezer.
Use kitchenchopper and blend frozen berries fullfat greek youghurt and stevia powder and ore erytol and a dash of cream I used 12%.
Instant ICE cream :0)
That sounds really nice! 12% (drool)
The 12% is a coffeecreamer-thing so no whipping the poore thing:0) You could let it out ( In the Open ) LOL.!
:0) I’m from Denmark where there’s something rotten:”) ( maybe it’s our jokes;0) )
Oh! I like you!
Lotte: “I’m from Denmark where there’s something rotten:”) ”
I was always convinced it is the Lutfisk myself…. 🙂
I have a horror of fish at any time but contemplating whitefish/lye with a gelatinous texture and a bad smell gives me shivers. You are very brave if you eat it in my opinion.
You actually use a full cup of sweetener to 2 cops yogurt. That sees line it would be awfully sweet.
This recipe looks great! One question though: can you store the froyo for a couple days while retaining the same consistency, or will it harden up completely?
Alicia, this recipe will harden up completely and fully after the first 60-90 minutes.
I got there through the Bliss.com website. Congratulations Jamie!! I can’t wait to make some of this amazing looking yogurt. 🙂
Hi, Jannis! It i so nice to meet you! I really love the heck out of that yogurt.
Finally found some full fat youghurt and I must say this tastes yummy!
Has anyone tried making fermented vegetables with the whey liquid drained from the yogurt?
Super easy and siper good for you. Has all the probiotics your body needs. Lots of recipies on the net.
Helene, that sounds really interesting! I know I love sauerkraut, but I am not sure if I could go the fermented vegetables route. Maybe someday I’ll be more adventurous!
swansons vitamins has fermented vegtables in caps —-has anyone tried them?
Had no idea it would be so simple! So glad I googled “low carb frozen yogurt” and stumbled upon your blog & this recipe! 🙂 Yay~ going to buy some full-fat greek yogurt now. ^^ You’re so my hero right now & I’m bookmarking your blog! Thanks!
Hi, Esther! It is so nice to meet you! I really hope you enjoy the recipe. I have had a lot of fun with Greek Yogurt for dessert. I like it so much now that I don’t often eat other yogurts.
I have not tried this yet but I am definitely excited about it. Just went to the store to curb the sweet tooth and found frozen greek yogurt and it was way too pricey for my taste – but then again it was better than eating everything in the fridge. I can’t wait to try this one. Any suggestions for types of fruits to add? I use blueberries in my non-frozen greek yogurt in the morning. I wasn’t sure if taste combos change when it is frozen.
Hi, Erin! The texture definitely changes. You know, if the fage is kind of cost prohibitive, try straining regular, plain (as low-carb as you can find) yogurt in a cheesecloth. What is left (the solids) is fage! I can do this for you in the coming year if you want me to show you the process. I think adding fruit or adding this kind of sauce would be fun, too: https://yourlighterside.com/recipe-low-carb-raspberry-dessert-topping/
Doesn’t the granular sugar substitute have carb (filler)?
It’s kinda carby, but you can cut the Splenda 50/50 with xylitol for only half the carbs.
AMAZING , FAMILY ADDICTION HAS STARTED! x Really nice with a handful of raspberries. xxx
jamie—do you know anything about swanson viitamins —-fermented vegetable caps or their himalayan salt??
If you don’t have cheesecloth, or want to bother with it, a coffee filter in a colander over
a large bowl in the frig overnight will drain regular plain yogurt and it becomes yogurt cheese, which is the same as Greek yogurt.
Thank you so much, I just moved and couldn’t find another frozen yogurt place. I have been looking for a while for good recipes and this is just what I have been looking for.
Hi there,
Good Recipe. I am going to try it for a school project.
Do you think i could add sprinkles to the mixture to make it colorful?
Also could i add some honey instead of some of the sugar?? I will still use some sugar but use some honey as well to equal it.
What do you think??
can I use liquid Stevia for sweetener?
Yes!
Everyone, I am in New Hampshire, I buy the best plain Greek yogurt in America – Cabot! Made in Vermont. It’s the creamiest! I buy plain unflavored in quart container. Mix 2 cups with 1 scoop of Pure Protein Whey Powder in vanilla or chocolate and then mix in a cup or more nonfat plain regular yogurt. Then get creative by working on flavor: adding any combo of cocoa powder, instant coffee, fruit fresh or frozen or canned or granola or trail mix, nuts, vanilla or other flavor extracts, couple tablespoons sugar or honey or ?? Then try adding shaved or mini chocolate chips; or coconut milk (Thai brands like Mae Ploy in can), rum, crushed pineapple; or lemon juice, chopped candied ginger…it all depends on your favorite flavors. I started by mixing with 1/4 cup hazelnut liquid creamer and vanilla protein powder. Chocolate+hazelnut extract or creamer =Nutella! Stir or whirl it all up, freeze in dessert dishes or popsicle molds on sticks. It’s virtually impossible to ruin it – ready in hour or two.
I got an insider tip from a greek co-worker for finding authentic greek yogurt. She tells me that the supermarket stuff is just awful(her words) and that greek people in our city only buy yogurt at a greek bakery where the yogurt is made fresh everyday. There are several greek bakeries in my city so that should make it easier to find the real stuff. If you have greek bakeries in your area, ask if they have the real greek yogurt.
Thinking about authentic Greek yogurt makes me drool. a little.
Hey there! I am going to try this very soon, but before I do I have a question. I am Greek and I can assure you that there are more than one types of Greek yogurt (at least here :p) so I would like to know weather youre using authentic Greek yogurt here or something like total by fage (its a brand) 🙂
Hi, Christina! Good point! I typically use Greek Gods plain yogurt (as full-fat as possible).